Bouhalouane train crash
Encyclopedia
The Bouhalouane train crash was a fatal railway accident that happened at Bouhalouane in Algeria
on January 27, 1982 at 01:30 and killed 131 people.
A passenger train travelling from Oran
to the capital Algiers
and consisting of a locomotive and eight carriages stalled on a steep gradient leading to a mountain pass a few kilometres beyond the town of Bouhalouane in the Chlef Province
of Algeria. The locomotive was uncoupled leaving the carriages unsecured; the brakes failed on the carriages and they rolled back down the slope to Bouhalouane where they collided with a freight train in the station. The noise woke many of the residents who rushed to the station where they witnessed an 'apocalyptic scene'. The passenger carriages were split open and stacked upon each other; screams of the wounded could be heard. Motorists passing the station were stopped and their cars became makeshift ambulances taking the injured to nearby hospitals. Heavy lifting equipment and cutting torches were used as police and army worked to rescue the injured, illuminated by spotlights. By dawn 100 bodies had been recovered. The final death toll was 131 people, with 200 injured.
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
on January 27, 1982 at 01:30 and killed 131 people.
A passenger train travelling from Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
to the capital Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
and consisting of a locomotive and eight carriages stalled on a steep gradient leading to a mountain pass a few kilometres beyond the town of Bouhalouane in the Chlef Province
Chlef Province
Chlef is a province in Algeria, and has about 1 million inhabitants. Its capital is Chlef. Another locality is Ténès, on the Mediterranean Sea.-Administrative divisions:...
of Algeria. The locomotive was uncoupled leaving the carriages unsecured; the brakes failed on the carriages and they rolled back down the slope to Bouhalouane where they collided with a freight train in the station. The noise woke many of the residents who rushed to the station where they witnessed an 'apocalyptic scene'. The passenger carriages were split open and stacked upon each other; screams of the wounded could be heard. Motorists passing the station were stopped and their cars became makeshift ambulances taking the injured to nearby hospitals. Heavy lifting equipment and cutting torches were used as police and army worked to rescue the injured, illuminated by spotlights. By dawn 100 bodies had been recovered. The final death toll was 131 people, with 200 injured.
Sources
- Derail: Why Trains Crash by Nicholas Faith, page 49, publ 2000 by Channel 4Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
books, ISBN 0-7522-7165-2 - 44 A BC SUCESOS VIERNES 29- 1- 82 (in Spanish)